page_title: Bayanihan to Heal as One Act
section_title: Legislative history
hierarchical_section_title: Bayanihan to Heal as One Act / Legislative history
caption_attribution_description: English: Senators convene for a special session on Monday (March 23, 2020), to tackle a bill authorizing President Rodrigo Duterte to exercise additional powers necessary to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) situation in the country. Senate Bill No. 1418, titled "Bayanihan to Heal as One Act," was approved on Tuesday (March 24, 2020) by all 12 senators who were physically present in the plenary.
context_page_description: The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, also known as the Bayanihan Act, and officially designated as Republic Act No. 11469, is a law in the Philippines that was enacted in March 2020 granting the President additional authority to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. The word "bayanihan" is a Tagalog word for communal work.
context_section_description: In the House of Representatives, the bill was introduced as House Bill No. 6616 with House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano of Pateros–Taguig as its principal sponsor and was defended on the floor by Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur's 2nd district. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea addressed the session, stressing that the president needed "standby powers" to address the emergency. Some representatives questioned the nature, usage, and necessity of the "standby powers", claiming its susceptibility to abuse and corruption.
  In the Senate of the Philippines, the bill was introduced as Senate Bill No. 1418 with Senate President Tito Sotto and Senator Pia Cayetano as its principal sponsors. Under the bill, Senator Cayetano said that over 18 million Filipino households living below the poverty line would also receive financial incentives of around ₱5,000–8,000 ($97.45–155.92) per month for two months. Senators amended their version of the bill to include financial compensation of around ₱100,000 ($1,965.33) to be given by PhilHealth to health professionals who contracted the virus, as well as the provision of around ₱1 million-worth ($19,653.27) of financial aid to their families.
  Both versions of the bill reportedly removed the usage of the term "emergency powers", replacing it with "authority". It also removed the term "take over of public utilities and private businesses", limiting President Duterte's abilities at most to "direct the operations" of such enterprises. The House version of the bill passed the House of Representatives in a 284–9 vote without abstentions, while its Senate version unanimously passed the Senate. President Duterte signed the bill into law the following day on March 24, 2020.
caption: Senators during a special session to tackle the passage of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, March 23, 2020
exif: {"Image Artist": "HENZBERG AUSTRIA/SENATE PRIB", "Image Copyright": "SENATE PRIB"}